A Different Scheme
by Ranekaera
Summary: Randall stays up late onthe scare floor one night, intending to set a different idea into motion, but what he finds instead is a surprise! PLEASE RE READ, NEWLY EDITED CHAPTERS, PROPERLY SPACED! PLEASE r&r!
1. Randall meets Boo

Hi, my name is Zavier. I am a fifteen year olde monster fan and an author since I was twelve. This is the first story I've done on the site, as you may or may not have read in my bio, so enjoy! Also, thanks to Joy for letting me use Rayford for a brief moment towards the end, I appreciate it. All other characters, excluding Randall, belong to me, so no stealing!  
-Zave

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My name is Randall Boggs. Yeah, I'm that purple and blue lizard monster from the movie everyone thinks is made-up. But let me tell you humans something, it isn't. I still have the scars and bruises from the human world and that happened about ten years ago.

Any way, I should probably tell ya why I'm writing a book about this next part.

It's like this. The new CEO, Sullivan, wasn't very happy when I came back to my world, but he agreed to give me my old job back if I agreed to come clean. I did, but only so I could plan my next scheme, and not to kidnap and then kill little four year olds.  
The day I was "banished", I was only eighteen or nineteen. I'm about twenty six in monster years now. Wanna know how old I am in human years? Why don't you ask that Steve Buschemi guy, he could probly tell ya.  
Any way, now to my story...

CHAPTER ONE: RANDALL MEETS ZAVIER  
I had to hurry if I was ever going to pull this off. The clock already read five, and I wasn't even supposed to be in the building anymore.

I hurried over to my desk and grabbed up my paperwork (fungus no longer works with me, as I am the only scarer among the sissy-wimp pansies that call themselves Laughers now) and I was about to hit the button that sends the door back to its vault when I heard a noise. By instinct, I camofloughed myself and watched the door behind me. Too late, I saw that it had previously been white in some past years, but was now gray with spiky flowers on it.

Suddenly, a teenaged girl opened the door and I nearly screamed.

It was her. The little girl I had scared in the past days. She was older now. Instead of brown, her hair was black now, and fell in inky waves against her shoulders. Her skin was a milky shade, almost white. No longer the cute little girl, she was a lanky teen all in black and silver and wearing enough chains and spikes to make her lethal.

I reappeared and her eyes went wide. Before she could scream, I darted forward and clamped my hand over her mouth. She glared at me and I slowly let her go.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. She shrugged and then peered a little closer at me. "Hey, I remember you. You're Randall, right?" she asked. Her voice was almost deep enough to be that of an imature young boy.

"Yes. Why are you here? How did you even get into the monster world in the first place?" I demanded again. She rolled her eyes.

"I was just opening my closet to drag my spare radio off the shelf and I find another world I haven't visited since I was five." she explained sarcastically. As she glared and fingered her spiked bracelet, I suddenly got an idea. A very good idea.

"Hey, what's your name again?" I asked, smiling a little slyly. She looked up at me and I saw that she had very green eyes. They were probably as bright as mine.

"Zavier." she answered cautiously.  
"Zavier what?" I demanded.  
"Zavier Coffin." she said tonelessly.  
"Close the door and step over here a moment." I told her as nicely as I could.

Damn, this had better work. If she dresses like this every day, she better make one hell of a good scarer. I thought a little tiredly. She did as I said and I heard chains rattling. Looking at the back of her black pants, I saw several long, very heavy chains criss crossed and looped to several silver loops on the seams. Zippers and safe-t pins and buckles hung on the pants as well, and I got the feeling she was really into the stuff humans called heavy metal.

_Heh. Yeah, any more 'heavy metal', and she'd sink an ocean liner_ I thought. She leaned against the desk and folded her arms. I saw a crescent shaped mark on her left fore arm and she said "Birth mark." I nodded in understanding and smiled reassuringly at her.

"What are you playing at?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, Zave. Nothing at all. Do you like the Orphanage you live at?" I asked suddenly. Her eyes went wide at this and I saw that there were deep blue shadows lining her eyes, making her look sick and very tired. I figured it was lack of sleep.

"How did you know I'm stuck living at an orphanage?" she demanded softly. I shrugged. "I have ways. You lived in one when I last saw you too, didn't you?" I asked. She nodded and looked around. "Nothing much here has changed, huh?" she asked herself.

"Let's say I know how it sucks to live in a place like that. What would you say if I told you you had a choice?" I inquired. I grinned, showing all my sharp white teeth, and Zavier smiled back. I noticed she also had white teeth, but she also had long sharp fangs. I didn't know humans could have fangs.

"I'd probably jump at any opportunity I got. The two kids I have to live with are as fat as cows and about as smart." she joked. So she only had to live with two? Hell, I had to live with five or six.

"Okay, Zavier. If you were asked to pack, what would you most likely bring?" I asked. I talked to her like I would a five year old, but she didn't seem to care.

"Probly just my CD player, my guitar, and my drawings." she answered. I raised an eye. "You play guitar?" I asked curiously. She nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm better on guitar than bass or the drums, but I'm better on the drums than the bass." she said casually.

"They always taught us in school that humans were stupid." I mused. She laughed sarcastically and rolled her eyes in a disturbingly good impression of me.

"Okay, then. Why don't you go back in your room and get those things, huh?" I suggested. She stared at me like I'd just offered her a million dollars or something. She smiled.

"What, I'm gonna stay here in the monster world now?" she asked. She sounded as if she could hardly believe it. I could hardly believe I was going to let her stay at my place. I nodded.

Suddenly, she jumped forward and flung her arms around my shoulders, squeezing me in a tight hug! I shoved her away in disgust and glared menacingly at her. She smiled.

"You won't regret it, Rand." she said. She ran to her door, flung it open and slammed it behind her. Suddenly, a voice shouted at me from the hallway.  
"Hey, Boggs! Thought you had to get home?" Sullivan. I looked around nervously and saw too late that Zavier's door was still in its station. Hoping she had enough sense to keep it shut for the time being, I answered him. "Uh, yeah. Wait, why ain't you home?" I asked slyly. Sullivan glared at me.

"I am CEO of M.I., Randall." he said in a bored sort of voice. I wondered why he hadn't noticed Zavier's door yet, then saw that a stack of cartons was obscuring his view. Thanking whatever gods liked lizard monsters, I sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I was just getting my paperwork, it was buried." I lied hastily. I picked up the stack of papers and held them up so he could see.

"Oh, okay. Here, I'll just take them, and then you can go home." he said, back to his usual cheerfull self. "No! Uh, I mean, no. I'll just take them to Roz myself, thanks." I said quickly. Sullivan stopped in his tracks, then shrugged.

"See you tomorrow, Boggs." he said dismissively. I put a hand against my racing heart and sighed explosively.

I heard Zavier's door open and she stepped out quietly. There was a guitar case slung over her shoulder, a large shoebox under one arm and a pair of head phones around her neck with a wire that ran into one of the many pockets in her pants.

"I heard everything. Was that Kitty?" she asked. I looked up at her, confused. "His name is Sullivan." I corrected her sharply. She blushed. "Sorry, that's all I used to call him." she muttered.

"Nevermind, how fast are you?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Pretty fast, if I'm not carrying anything. Why?" she asked.

"Because. Without a disguise, your gonna have to run in the shadows."

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Please review!!!! I'm editing all the chapters, because no one has reviewed this in a long time... 4 years, in fact. PLEASE REVIEW!!


	2. Zavier's escape

CHAPTER TWO: ZAVIER'S ESCAPE

"C'mon, hurry up or we'll get caught!" I hissed.

Behind me, Zavier was sprinting silent as a cat. She'd taken off all the noisy things on her pants and stowed them in a pocket of her guitar case. I carried the shoebox and the CD player, and because she insisted, she carried her guitar.

"I'm trying! " she panted. With her black clothes, she blended so well with the shadows that I almost couldn't see her.  
We were approaching my street now, about a mile and a half from the factory. I didn't have a car, (unless you could count my sister's beat up old sports car, which had a million different problems) and I didn't have the right build for a bike, even a monster one, so I usually walked to get around. I was pretty fast. In the sky, the sun was beginning to go down. It was the middle of October and it was cold out, making me slower than usual. I'd forgotten a jacket because it'd been warm and sunny out this morning.

"Randall, wait!" called Zavier suddenly. I stopped and instantly, my blood froze.  
"Make it quick, some of us are cold blooded, y'know!" I snapped, curling my tail around myself and folding my arms against the chilly breeze. Zavier cocked her head.  
"Really. I didn't know that. I just thought I saw something." she said.

I rolled my eyes. I grabbed her wrist and broke into a run, getting my sluggish blood moving ever-so-slightly. It was no use, I knew. Motion did not keep a reptile like me warm. Just warm enough to still be alive. Zavier sped up and broke away from me, darting in and out of the shadows.

"See that apartment building with the words "Reptillians Abraud" on it? Stop there!" I called. She raised a hand to show she'd heard and reached the building and stopped. I caught up and stumbled up the steps. Before I could open the door myself, however, someone else opened it. Zavier ducked and vaulted over the side of the porch.

"Randall! Do you have any idea how cold it is outside!" cried another occupant, a snake-like reptile with black scales and red eyes. I glared at him.

"Yes and I don't wanna listen to you! Just get the hell outta my way and let me in!" I growled. The snake, Jason, rolled his eyes and slithered out of my way. I stumbled inside, welcoming the heat in the house. Jason slithered up the stairs and disappeared inside his apartment.

Slightly warmer now, I poked my head back outside the door.

"Zavier? You still out here?" I called.  
"Yeah, doing just fine." she replied sarcastically from over the side of the porch.  
"The coast is clear, come on." I called.

She poked her head up and jumped up over the side again, banging the head of the guitar case on the cement as she did so. "Shit!" she cursed.

"Come one, before one of them comes out again." I cautioned. She followed me inside and up the narrow stairwell. I led her down the hall way and hurriedly unlocked the door to my apartment. I ushered her inside first, and a good thing too.

At that minute, the landlady's door burst open and she saw me, then disappeared back inside. She usually didn't mind if I was home a little late. She had an unusual liking to me. That's why I had a slightly lower rent. (Heh, heh.)

Inside the small apartment, Zavier had set her guitar case down on the living room floor and had taken it out. She was examining the head of it, frowning in deep concentration.

It was an electric guitar, black with a silver pick guard and a sticker at the bottom that said "still a fuckin' freak.'  
"Nice." I complimented.

She looked up at me and smiled shakily. Her hair was all greasy from the trash on the ground and it was a mess. Her clothes were a little wrinkled, but not soiled. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and she was panting a little.

"Thanks. I got it from my older brother. He was only nineteen when he died a few years ago." she said silently. I didn't know what to say to that.  
I carried her stuff in a spare room, the floor cluttered with a few boxes. Walking over to the closet, I dug out some shimmery purple fabric. It was a little darker than my scales and there was enough there for a costume. Zavier was about an inch taller than me (fronds not included) so she wouldn't need much. I grabbed a sewing machine off the bottom shelf and hurried back into the living room.

Zavier had put her guitar back in the case and was looking around. The couch was in the corner. It was more a love seat than a couch. I wasn't earning as much money since my ' banishment.' My TV set sat on a small stand in front of the couch and my stereo sat on the floor next to it. Around the room, a few pictures hung, mostly of my twin sister and me. She was dead now, killed in a car crash. It had been years ago, but I still liked to keep a few pictures around to remind me.

"Cool place." she said. I smiled and thanked her hastily. She eyed the sewing kit and laughed. "Who taught you to sew?" she asked. I pointed to a picture of Vanessa on the wall, wearing a blue knit top and holding the hand of a five year old me. I was holding a needle and was all tangled up in a jungle of pink thread.

"My sister." I told her.  
"Oh." she said.  
"Hey, what size shirt do you wear?" I asked. She raised an eye and stood her guitar case up against the wall.  
"I dunno, a medium, probably." she shrugged. I eyed her lanky form and thought jeez, any thinner and she'd be a snake.  
"Okay. I have an idea. If we dress you up like normal, then you may pass for what I have in mind." I thought out loud as I spread out the fabric and took the scissors in my hand. She touched the fabric tentatively. "It feels like the scales on my pet snake." she thought out loud. I looked up at her like she was crazy.

"You left your snake at home?" I asked coldly. She nodded.

"I couldn't carry that big tank if I were ten times stronger. Besides, he was sleeping. He hates being waken up, even for dinner." she explained. I sighed. If she had a reptile as a pet and she'd left it in the human world, then I was gonna bring it over. I knew how it felt to be left alone in that world.  
"Next week, I'll call down the door again and we can get your snake. Does he have a name?" I asked. She nodded.  
"I call him Picky." she said. I laughed.  
"Picky? What, he's that temperamental?" I joked. She nodded, smiling at my reaction.

This was quite possibly the dumbest idea I had ever gotten, and as most strange ideas go, it felt right.

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PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. retrieving randall

CHAPTER THREE: OPERATION "RETRIEVING RANDALL"

I stood back and admired my work. I had sewed half the costume. It fit her okay. I t was form fitting without looking too human. It encased the curvier parts of her body, making her look more like a lizard standing on its hind legs. She had produced ten pointer rings from her shoebox, all silver, steel and more than three inches long. She removed her shirt and pants for the costume, and she looked underfed without them on. Her body was, if possible, even paler than her face and hands, and she was wearing smaller, more revealing pieces of clothing underneath.  
"I dunno, Zave. What about your face?" I asked. She looked in the mirror over my bathroom sink and frowned. Then her expression brightened. "I knew I brought that makeup for a reason." She said under her breath. She ran to her box again and came back carrying something purple, something white, something black and a few other odd things I didn't have a name for. "Face make-up. For Halloween. I was going to be a lizard anyway, only my costume is red and looks like something at the salvation army." she explained. I smiled, although I had no idea what the salvation army was. I thought I could get to like this human. She opened a tube-like thing and squirted something purple out the end. She rubbed into her face and rubbed it some more. Pretty soon, she looked like a purple human. Next, she opened the black and spread it just under her eyes, making them look bigger than they already were. "Your facial features will still give you away." I pointed out. She had yet another idea for this too, it turned out.  
Ten minutes later, we had a disguise. Zavier now looked like a purple lizard with yellow eyes and a short snout. She'd used contact lenses to change her eyes and a mask to hide her flat humanistic face. It was lined with sharp teeth and molded convincingly to her face to look real. As a s The tail of the costume was long and black and was raised in the back just enough so it would move when she did, making for a convincing monster. The claw rings on her fingers made it look as if she had claws, if she balled her hands into fists. She was undistinguishable from any other reptile in the apartment.  
"What do you think? I pass?" she asked. I examined the costume from every angle and nodded, satisfied. She smiled.  
A knock on the door. "Randall! Who are you talking to in there?" called the landlady's voice. I smiled at Zavier and walked over to the door. I opened it wide enough for her to see Zavier and she asked "Who's that?"  
"Oh, just a friend. Is it okay if she stays with me for a short while?" I asked, giving her puppy eyes. She cross examined Zavier, then raised an eye at the hair. Oh no! Zavier had forgotten to hide her hair! I would have to think of an excuse. "What of this?" she asked. Zavier pulled her hair away from the monster, who looked like a giant pterodactyl. "Uh...she was just trying on a wig, y'know, playing around." I lied. Macy raised an eye at me and smiled. "Well, it looks okay. So long as she's quiet. Just for your information, though, boggs, this never happened." she hissed. She walked out and closed the door. Zavier slumped visibly and smiled shakily at me. "That was pretty close. Now I'm gonna have to figure a way to hide my hair." she complained. I rolled my eyes at her and smiled.  
"No you won't. Only around Macy. She doesn't know reptiles in this world can and do have hair." I said mischiveously. "I could tie it back and tuck it into the costume." she suggested. I shook my head. "No. It would make a bulge, your hair's too thick. We need to..." I hesitated. I eyed the scissors on the floor and smiled. She looked at them then back at me.  
"NO. I am not cutting my hair. It took me two years just to grow it out this long!" she whined. I rolled my eyes, then went into the storage room to grab a black scrunchie thing that my sister used to wear. I didn't mind. I had her necklace to remind me of her.  
"Here, use this." I said tossing it to her. She pulled her hair back off her shoulders and tied it back. Then I got yet another idea.  
"Wait here, I'l be right back." I told her. I sneaked into the closet and pulled my winter jacket on. "Where are you going?" she asked skeptically. I grinned.  
"Out. You wait here. I'll tap on the window when I want in." I told her. She nodded. I went to the window and opened it. It slid up easily and I snuck out, graspng the side of the building with my fingers and toes. I loved being built somewhat like a gecko. It would've made me the world's greatest burgalar, if I wanted to. But I didn't need it.  
Shimmying down the side of the building, I avoided open windows and wandering eyes, lest I get caught wandering out in the cold of night after curfew. Breath steaming out in front of me, I ran as fast as I could down to the roadside store. I knew they had hair care products there, because I used to go and buy stuff for my sister all the time when I was younger, happier and when she was still alive.  
Walking in, I walked as calmly as I could down the isle, looking for a special formula that cut down on bushyness of hair. Monster hair care products were more advanced than that of humans.. With this, she won't need to do anything with her hair I thought to myself.  
I bought it, ran out the door, and straight into a thunderstorm. "Oh, #$!" I screamed into the gail. I wasn't mad just because I had frozen to the bone immedeatly. I was mad becasue when it stormed this bad, Macy sometimes checked everyone's apartment to make sure people were okay and no windows were left open or broken.  
Then I got another idea. I turned and walked back into the store. "Hey, buddy, d'you think I could use your phone a minute? It's an emergency." I asked the clerk behind the desk.  
"Hey, don't you work at that scream factory?" he asked suspiciously. I nodded and smileed for him. "Yup. Randall Boggs, second best scarer." I bragged. Maybe if I did a little boasting, I could get what I wanted. "Hey, that's pretty good! Okay, here ya go, but don't be on too long." he handed me the black phone and I dialed my cell phone number. I only hoped Zavier would know how to use a cell. Two rings, three rings, then Hello? "Hey, Zave, It's me Randall." I said breathlessly. Hey, anything wrong? I noticed there's a storm outside. Need anything? she asked. "Heh, yeah, a portable heater would suffice. Listen, think you could drive a car?" I asked. There was a pause. Ye-ess...Why?" she asked slowly. I smiled to myself. "Because. Your gonna come pick me up. Listen, there's a small silver key laying on my dreser in my room. You there?" I asked. Another pause. Then, Jeez, Ran, your room's worse than mine. I laughed. "Good. You have the silver key?" I asked. Yeah. Do you even have a car? she asked. "No, not really. My sister did, though. It should be in the parking lot, a small, streamlined black one. Lisence plate says 696 IM.". I said. She paused again. I see it. Does it run on automatic?" she asked. "Yeah. If you start the engine and a blinking light comes on that says brake warning, just ignore it, that car has more problems than my junky little computer." I answered. She laughed. Okay, Randall. I'm in the car, engine's running, now tell me how to get there. she said. "Okay, just pull out of the lot, take a right, and keep going straight until you see a streetlight." I instructed. While, she drove, we chatted a little. So, why, again am I in the monster world? she asked. "I was thinking of making you a scarer. Kind of a test run, to see if humans could help collect screams, since they have so many freaky movies out." I explained. She laughed. Okay, which way do I go from the light? she asked. "Take a left and the store should be the first thing you see. I'm outside." 'Kay, later. She hung up. I hung up the phone, thanked the man behind the counter and walked back out into the freezing rain. Soon, the headlights of a small car washed over the store parking lot, bathing everything in light. I ran to the passenger's side door, gratefull she hadn't had a problem getting here. "Hey, long time no see." she joked. I closed my door. "C'mon, we better get back, there's a reason I never drive this thing, y'know." I told her. She gave me a funny look. "Don't tell me, I don't even wanna know." she said sarcastically." "Just drive." I commanded.

When we were safely back in my apartment, Zavier handed me my cell and I thanked her. I was really quite surprised she knew how to use it.  
"How did you know how to answer it?" I asked. She smiled. "Friends in better living conditions than me. I have a friend, Chassidy, who always let me play games on her cell phone. Monsters and humans aren't as different as they seem to be." she explained unneccesarily.  
"Ah, I see. Here, I got ya somethin." I said. I tossed her the formula and she caught it deftly in her right hand. "Cuts down on thickness? Might work." she said thoughtfully. "Just read the directions on the back." I instructed her. She came back out of the bathroom about ten minutes later with her hair all wet, but it was pulled back and not so thick anymore.  
I let her sleep on the couch, then I crashed in my room.

CHAPTER FOUR: ZAVIER GETS OUT (a secret)

The alarm rang, bringing me out of the murky waters of my nightmare. It was the same nightmare that I had every time I was a little stressed about something. The one where I was bodily thrown into the himalayas, where everything was white and my body was so numb it hurt to think. Looking around, I saw that my bedroom was indeed a mess as Zavier had said it was. I didn't have many clothes, as I only wore them when I had to, so there wasn't any clothing on the floor. Instead, there were wires, leftovers from my scream-extractor from ten years ago, a full-length mirror, a few different disassembled radios, and other junk I didn't know what to do with. My desk was so cluttered, because I didn't use my beat up computer anymore. It was a version 95 and had almost as many problems as my sister's old Chevo. (Sort of like Chevy in the human world.)  
I moaned and rolled out of bed. Today was saturday, so I didn't have to go to work. It also meant that Zavier didn't have to go and meet her old friend, 'kitty' though I doubted he would any longer be her type.  
I got to my four feet and walked into the kitchen to pour some cereal. Looking into the living room, I saw that Zavier was still asleep, in the street clothes she'd had on when I'd met her. She was sprawled out on the couch, covered by a thick black comforter, one arm beneath her and the other with her knuckles scraping the floor. I chuckled to myself and continued to the kitchen.  
I opened the cupboards and dug out a bowl and some cereal, called Slimy Rings. They were sort of like fruit loops in the human world, only, as the name implied, they were slimy and tasted to me like bannanas way past the expiration date, which I liked. (Laugh if you want, but monsters have very different taste buds.)  
I was eating while reading my book when a very sleepy looking Zavier shuffled into the kitchen. I took one look at her and laughed. Her hair was a mess of what looked like black straw and her skin was whiter than milk this early in the morning. Her clothes were all twisted around her body, making her appear to be in a straightjacket of some sort. She yawned and looked around the bare little kitchen groggily.  
"You up already?" she asked in a throaty voice filled with sleep. I rolled my eyes and smiled smugly, swallowing my mouthfull of cereal. Zavier eyed it with what looked like an attempt at disgust or horror, I couldn't tell. I pointed to the box and she picked it up and read the back. Her face broke into a grin and she dropped the box and started laughing. I tried quieting her, but she couldn't stop.  
"Monsters...are--so-weird! Slimy-...Rings!" she gasped between laughing. Her face was turning pink from laughing so much. She was clutching her throat when she finally quieted down. I was still holding my spoon halfway to my mouth, staring dumbstruck at the dilusional human female.  
Here she was, hair looking like someone's ratty old dog, clothes all twisted, eyes stille yellow, and fangs, and she thought Monsters were wierd? I laughed in spite of myself.  
"You hungry?" I asked. She giggled again and shook her head. I shrugged and finished my breakfast. After I was done cleaning up, I suggested we go out and get some fresh air. She smiled.  
"Okay, sure. Could I bring my CD player?" she asked. I shrugged and said "Who's it gonna hurt?" she giggled again, and I had time to think. Wonder why the lights don't flare?

In the car on the highway to the next town heading towards the mall, I asked "Hey, Zave? Why don't you take out those contact lenses." I suggested. She looked at me funny with her gold-yelow eyes and frowned. "Contact lenses? I took those out lastnight. This is my true eye color." she said oddly. I raised an eye. "Yellow? I didn't know humans could have anything but brown, blue, green, gray, or hazel." I speculated. Zavier looked at the floor, a crease in between her eyebrows. "Well...If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you." she said quietly. I smirked and crossed all four arms. "Try me." I invited. She looked up at me, her yellow eyes almost glowing. "My father's a reptile." she said quietly. I smirked again and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. The chromosones would never match up." I countered. She glared at me and then, she did something that astounded me.  
She stuck out her tongue. It wasn't pink or red or white, even. It was long, past her chin, and slender, thin and forked deeply. It was a deep, shiny black, like her hair. Raising her upper lip, she exposed her fangs fully for the first time. The fangs were slender, sharp like needles and dripping in saliva. "Okay. I'm convinced." I said, eyes wide. She looked down at her CD player again, a blue sphere with a few buttons on the bottom that and a trademark that said 'Sony'. I drove on, listening to the radio in my sister's olde car. I'd decided that since it could drive at least a few miles at a time before it broke down, I'd use it for today.


	4. Zavier gets out

CHAPTER FOUR: ZAVIER GETS OUT (a secret)

The alarm rang, bringing me out of the murky waters of my nightmare. It was the same nightmare that I had every time I was a little stressed about something. The one where I was bodily thrown into the himalayas, where everything was white and my body was so numb it hurt to think. Looking around, I saw that my bedroom was indeed a mess as Zavier had said it was. I didn't have many clothes, as I only wore them when I had to, so there wasn't any clothing on the floor. Instead, there were wires, leftovers from my scream-extractor from ten years ago, a full-length mirror, a few different disassembled radios, and other junk I didn't know what to do with. My desk was so cluttered, because I didn't use my beat up computer anymore. It was a version 95 and had almost as many problems as my sister's old Chevo. (Sort of like Chevy in the human world.)  
I moaned and rolled out of bed. Today was saturday, so I didn't have to go to work. It also meant that Zavier didn't have to go and meet her old friend, 'kitty' though I doubted he would any longer be her type.  
I got to my four feet and walked into the kitchen to pour some cereal. Looking into the living room, I saw that Zavier was still asleep, in the street clothes she'd had on when I'd met her. She was sprawled out on the couch, covered by a thick black comforter, one arm beneath her and the other with her knuckles scraping the floor. I chuckled to myself and continued to the kitchen.  
I opened the cupboards and dug out a bowl and some cereal, called Slimy Rings. They were sort of like fruit loops in the human world, only, as the name implied, they were slimy and tasted to me like bannanas way past the expiration date, which I liked. (Laugh if you want, but monsters have very different taste buds.)  
I was eating while reading my book when a very sleepy looking Zavier shuffled into the kitchen. I took one look at her and laughed. Her hair was a mess of what looked like black straw and her skin was whiter than milk this early in the morning. Her clothes were all twisted around her body, making her appear to be in a straightjacket of some sort. She yawned and looked around the bare little kitchen groggily.  
"You up already?" she asked in a throaty voice filled with sleep. I rolled my eyes and smiled smugly, swallowing my mouthfull of cereal. Zavier eyed it with what looked like an attempt at disgust or horror, I couldn't tell. I pointed to the box and she picked it up and read the back. Her face broke into a grin and she dropped the box and started laughing. I tried quieting her, but she couldn't stop.  
"Monsters...are--so-weird! Slimy-...Rings!" she gasped between laughing. Her face was turning pink from laughing so much. She was clutching her throat when she finally quieted down. I was still holding my spoon halfway to my mouth, staring dumbstruck at the dilusional human female.  
Here she was, hair looking like someone's ratty old dog, clothes all twisted, eyes stille yellow, and fangs, and she thought Monsters were wierd? I laughed in spite of myself.  
"You hungry?" I asked. She giggled again and shook her head. I shrugged and finished my breakfast. After I was done cleaning up, I suggested we go out and get some fresh air. She smiled.  
"Okay, sure. Could I bring my CD player?" she asked. I shrugged and said "Who's it gonna hurt?" she giggled again, and I had time to think. Wonder why the lights don't flare?

In the car on the highway to the next town heading towards the mall, I asked "Hey, Zave? Why don't you take out those contact lenses." I suggested. She looked at me funny with her gold-yelow eyes and frowned. "Contact lenses? I took those out lastnight. This is my true eye color." she said oddly. I raised an eye. "Yellow? I didn't know humans could have anything but brown, blue, green, gray, or hazel." I speculated. Zavier looked at the floor, a crease in between her eyebrows. "Well...If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you." she said quietly. I smirked and crossed all four arms. "Try me." I invited. She looked up at me, her yellow eyes almost glowing. "My father's a reptile." she said quietly. I smirked again and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. The chromosones would never match up." I countered. She glared at me and then, she did something that astounded me.  
She stuck out her tongue. It wasn't pink or red or white, even. It was long, past her chin, and slender, thin and forked deeply. It was a deep, shiny black, like her hair. Raising her upper lip, she exposed her fangs fully for the first time. The fangs were slender, sharp like needles and dripping in saliva. "Okay. I'm convinced." I said, eyes wide. She looked down at her CD player again, a blue sphere with a few buttons on the bottom that and a trademark that said 'Sony'. I drove on, listening to the radio in my sister's olde car. I'd decided that since it could drive at least a few miles at a time before it broke down, I'd use it for today.


	5. A lesson learned

CHAPTER FIVE: A LESSON LEARNED

I pulled into the parking lot of the mall about twenty minutes later, the sound of The Sickos still pounding on the radio. Sickos were a rock band in this world, just not as loud or as heavy as Zavier's music. "This is it?" asked Zavier, looking out the windshield awed. The building was huge, a clear dome making up the middle portion of it. Double doors leading into the mall itself were painted white and the roof was shingled and green. Cars were parked everywhere and I had a little difficulty finding a parking space, but I got one.  
Getting out, Zavier stretched and looked around. "What's it like inside?" she asked. I shook my head and snickered. Man, if I'd known she was gonna be so curious, I'd've shown her around when she was still five I thought. "Follow me and you'll find out." I said. I pocketed the keys in my jacket pocket and walked up to the doors. "Woa." said Zavier, looking around the main lobby. I grinned.  
Inside, there were hundreds of tables. A small chain of restaurants lined the walls, and an arcade stood off to our left. Beyond the tables, the mall split into two different halls, stores lining every one.  
"Where you wanna go first?" I asked, knowing inside that she wouldn't have a clue. I was right. "Uh, maybe I'll follow you." she said, looking embarrased. I smiled and headed for a store directly in front of all the tables, called Mechanics 'N' Games. It was where I'd bought my first Stereo when I was only twenty- one. "C'mon, there's something I wanna ask about." I said eagerly.

Last time I'd been in here, I'd seen a game about humans. The humans were all black and red and brown, and it looked as if their skin was all crumbly or thin or something. Their eyes were either black sockets or bulged out. I just wanted to know what the game might be about, and who better to ask than a human? Walking into the store with Zavier behind me, I head over to the game section and take down the game I'd seen. "What's this game about?" I asked her in a whisper. She looked at it and her eyes widened. "Hey! This is the play station version of Rob Zombie's movie, House Of 1000 Corpses! What's it doing here?" she whispered fiercly. Naturally, I had no idea what play station was, or who Rob Zombie was, or what she was talking about, but I decided to play along. She must have noticed the puzzled look in my face.  
"Rob Zombie is the name of a guy who's in his own band, and play station is a kind of computer you can play games on. He had a new movie called House Of 1000 Corpses, but I have no clue why it would be in the monster world." she explained. She turned the case over and examined it. "What's the cover all about?" I asked, taking the case from her and flipping it over again. She gave me that disbelieving look again and smirked. "You don't know what this is a picture of?" she asked quietly. I shook my head. "The humans on this cover are all dead, Randall. They're all corpses, hence the title." she said sarcastically. I rasied an eye and looked at the cover once more. She was right. I hadn't noticed the mice and the puddles of blood. I thought it would've been obvious, now that I thought about it. As we exited the store, I shook my head in disgust. "Why do humans like stuff like that?"  
"Not everyone does, just the really bored ones with too much homework." she said sarcastically. "C'mon, let's go visit the arcade. I'll whip you at pinball!" I challenged. I wanteds to get away from the ame store with the twisted human game. To humans, it was probably a must-have, but to me, it was disgusting, because it was humans. I am a very picky monster when it comes to my video games.


	6. A surprise for randall

CHAPTER SIX: A SURPRISE FOR RANDALL

"This isn't too different." she said. The arcade was your average video game mania, kids and young adults absorbed in their favorite racing game or shooting game. I liked pinball. I was holder of the highest ever top score on the game here. 1,263,302.  
"Hey, over here. Pinball Panic." I called. She came over, examinig the game. In this game, you got five balls instead of just three like in the human world. I'd tried pinball in that place, and it was damn near impossible! "I'm not very good at this." she said nervously. I laughed at her and inserted a coin. The game table spinned into life, lighting up and making noise. I explained the directions to her and she looked like she understood. I pulled the launcher and launched the ball, scoring about 2000 points on the bumpers alone. The ball went into the open and I hit it with the left flipper, sending it streaking to the sushi section. I scored about 5000 there. "Looks easy." said Zavier. "Yeah, it's a lot easier than the ones in your world." I said jokingly. With all the noise in here, I didn't need to worry about keeping my voice down. "Can I try?" she asked hopefully. I smiled in surprise. I slammed a fist into the side of the table, causing it to restart and stepped aside invitingly.  
"Be my guest. Bet ya can't beat my top score." I sneered. I wanted to see her try to beat me. I knew she wouldn't. Frowning in concentration, she launched the ball and sent it sailing into the bumpers. To my surprise, she racked a good 1,230 points! The ball went down and she hit it with the right flipper, sending it to dispatch. I pursed my lips and nodded. "Not bad..." I mumbled, impressed against my will. Ten minutes later, with two balls left, she had a good 945,457. Now I was anticipating her beating me. She was good for a beginner. She would most definitly make it as a scarer.  
"Come on.." she mumbled. She finished with 955,154. Her top score went two under mine. "C'mon. Let's head back, it's getting late." I said, yawning. I hadn't gotten as much sleep lastnight as I'd first thought. Plus it was bound to get colder earlier. "Yeah." she agreed We left the mall and headed to the car.


	7. Fasrforward

CHAPTER SEVEN: FASTFORWARD

Over the next few weeks, I trained Zavier to be a scarer. She had a lot of potential.  
We had already signed a job application at M.I. and she'd been accepted. She was rated at number twenty-five on the score board, with a total of almost three thousand points.  
We went to work, scared, teamed up for lunch break, and went home joking and laughing. I learned loads more stuff about her. She was seventeen and had never been to a concert in her life. While growing up, she'd always wanted to be a herpatologist, like her big brother was before he'd passed away. When she was seven, her mother had died of a heart attack from being overweight. She'd never known her father and she had been moved from several different group homes until they'd placed her in an orphanage. Because she had a bad attitude, no one would adopt her and no one would pay any attention to her. She didn't have many friends and if anyone tried beating her up on her way home from school, she'd either give in or fight back. She'd never run. She knew almost everything about me now. (I bet if you asked nicely, she'd tell you the reason I kidnapped her at five was not becasue I'm a twisted maniac lizard who wanted to get rich, but because Waternoose was such a freak on the scream shortage, and he threatened to fire me if I didn't agree to help).  
In our free time, we went to the beach, rented movies, spied on the other reptiles in the apartment or played jokes on each other. It wasn't until about two months later that I realized I would have killed just to keep her in this world. We had become good friends. As for Sullivan, she didn't like him so much anymore. She said he was too much of a 'goody-goody' and was too happy too often. She didn't much like teddy bears. I could agree with her on those terms.  
It was a fair week in February when we went to the mall again. This time, Zavier knew her way around a little better and we played in the arcade some more.  
"What do you want for dinner?" she asked as we played our last game of pinball. She beat me. I shrugged. "I dunno. How 'bout sandwiches?" I suggested. "Race ya!" I cried, bounding towards the doors. I heard her cry "Hey!" and the silent footfalls as she ran after me. I laughed, almost there, but then I realized something wasn't right. CHAPTER SEVEN: OH NO!

I noticed she wasn't behind me anymore. I looked around, expecting her to sneak up and try to jump me, but no Zavier.  
"Zavier?" I called. No answer. A few people looked at me funny, but I glared at them and they minded their own buisness. "Zave?" I called again. Now I was beginning to know how Sullivan felt when "Boo" ran off. Where could she have gone to? I asked myself. Suddenly, I heard a muffled cry.  
"Randmmff!" I spun around and saw two monsters holding a struggling Zavier. They were running for the doors!  
"Zave! Hey, let go of her!" I snarled at the two unknown monsters. They just shook their heads at me and, with one final tug, they pulled Zavier outside. Zavier gave me one last panicked, desperate look and disappeared inside a blue car with a vanity plate. It said I SPY. I ran outside, hoping to catch them, but the car had already started off.  
"Zavier!" I yelled after them. Uh-oh. This is bad.


	8. That which was lost

CHAPTER EIGHT: THAT WHICH WAS LOST

I jumped into my little car and revved the engine, the music blaring some unknown rock song. I turned it down real low and gunned the engine once more, then floored it out of the parking lot. "Hold on, Zave. I'm coming." I talked to myself. After what happened to Vanessa, I wasn't going to lose anyone else. Vanessa had been my sister. I hadn't had as much fun with anyone since she'd died, and I wasn't about to lose another friend. I followed them.

(switch to Zavier's point of view) I wasn't sure where I was when I first awoke. I was aware I still had the costume on, but I couldn't hear the car anymore. They'd shoved a filthy smelling rag under my nose, and I'd fallen asleep.  
Now, looking around, I saw I was in a room with whitewashed walls and few windows. There was white furniture here and there, and I was in a cage. I tried getting up, but I was bound and gagged.  
"Well well well. The human is awake." said a monster near the cage. Oh no! They knew!  
I glared at him. He had red and orange fur with two legs. Horns sat on top of his head and he had a short thick tail. "Awww, does da scared wittle human female wanna get out?" he simpered. I nodded. "Tough! We've got special plans for you, little one." he sneered. He walked away.  
A female monster that looked sort of like Randall walked up to the cage very quietly. She looked tired and scared. She had dark blue hair that had a few pink streaks in it. Her eyes were green like Randall's, but they were worn, deep shadows lining them. She wore a light blue top and had light purple scales.  
It was the girl from Randall's pictures. I thought he said his sister was dead I thought curiously. The girl cautiously unlocked the cage and opened the door. "Do you wanna be untied?" she asked timidly. No longer the brave-looking monster from the portraits, she was weak and thin and she looked scared to be offering me this kind of freedom.  
I nodded and she frowned sympathetically. Walking into the cage, she bent down and untied my bindings. I sat up and rubbed my sore wrist from where they had tied me. I reached up and tore the gag off my mouth and the mask fell away.  
"So you are human. What a clever disguise." she mused. I hurriedly put the mask back on. "Are you Randall's sister?"

She looked stricken.


	9. Randall's sorrow

CHAPTER NINE: RANDALL'S SORROW

I didn't know where I was. I had been driving for an hour now, still following that car. It had disappeared a few minutes ago, and I had kept following its main progress.  
Now I pulled into a dead end, ending in a huge factory. The factory had a sliding garage door, and I saw a a glint of blue...  
I sped into the parking lot and parked the car in a small clearing in the trees. Getting out, I immediately hid myself and ran up to the factory.  
Inside, I saw a huge room, all white with a little white furniture, and in the far corner, a cage. I ran over, unseen, and saw Vanessa.  
I ran inside the cage (the door was open) and looked down at my sister for the first time in almost thirteen years. She was very thin, wearing a light blue top, the one she'd been buried in. Her eyes looked tired, she looked so starved. She was talking to Zavier. "Randall was my brother. My parents have been looking for him for years now. He thinks I died. Everyone does. But I'm not. I'm here because my father works here. My mother works nearby in a grocery store." she said in a soft voice that I heard in my dreams every now and then. Behind her, I reappeared. I was crying, remembering that day, twelve years ago.  
Flashback... I stood at the front of the crowd in between the staff who's shift it was at the group home. My sister's casket stood on a low table at the front of the morgue with the lid up.  
Inside, Vanessa lay still, as though sleeping. She was wearing the light blue top that I'd gotten her that Christmas. Her scales were all milky and she had a huge scar that ran from her chin to her lower stomach.  
I am only fifteen, but I'm crying. I know she and I will never share a happy home or live a happy life, because she's dead. Inside, I loathed to think about the life I was to lead. Without my sister, my savior, my best friend, I wanted to die too.  
Back to the present... I looked down at Vanessa, kneeling on the floor, and I cried again, just like I had at her funeral. I didn't want to know how she was alive again, or what she was talking about our parents for, all I wanted was to hug her. "Hem hem." I cleared my throat. Vanessa spun, and her eyes widened. "Randall!" she cried. "...Nessa." I choked my throat thick with tears. She jumped up and hugged me. I buried my face in her hair, noticing that she smelled like decay.  
"Oh, Randy, mom and dad have been looking for you for so long..." she mumbled. I looked over her shoulder at Zavier, and was surprised to see that she was crying too. Her make-up was smudging and starting to come off, and she slowly lowered her mask.  
I let go of Vanessa, and smiled at her. "Randall, oh it's so good to see you again. Mom'll be so happy.." she whispered. I shook my head, wanting to get to the point of all her talk about our parents. They had died when we were only twelve years old. We had gone on living at our place for another four weeks before someone noticed we were alone. Excluding those lived with my parents, those times had been the happiest of my life. "Vanessa, mom and dad are dead, they died a long time ago, don't you remember?" I asked. She looked confused and shook her head. "No. Your confused, Randall. Mom and dad aren't dead, neither was I, we just had to go away for awhile. Now we're back and we've been looking for you for years." she explained. Zavier shook her head and stood up. Without her make-up and mask on, she looked very out of place with just the costume on. "Why did you have to go away?" she asked. Vanessa turned around and faced Zavier. "We were happy to finally go on a vacation. Randall couldn't come because he was sick, but I got to go. We had to come back because there was a power failure up at the cabin by the lake. Someone crashed into a telephone pole." she explained. Zavier gave her a skeptical lok and frowned. She always did that when she was in deep thought.  
"Hey! What do you think your doing, Deadbeat? Get outta there!" called a monster with horns, a thick tail and red and orange fur. I hid and Rain obediently sulked out of the cage. Zavier looked at Vanessa with a look of horror and understanding on her face. I crept over to stand beside her and nudged her with an elbow. I wasn't as skittish to touch or be touched by her anymore. "What?" I hissed. "I just remembered! I saw some charts in the trunk of that car! They looked like plans for some sort of gun and I remember.." she trailed off. "Well!" I urged hr impatiently. "Some of the labels had stuff like' needs more crystal', or 'get rid of some attachments'.  
"What are you talking about? And what does a gun have to do with bringing the dead back to life?" I hissed. She shrugged. Then she smiled. "Okay, give, what's your plan?" I asked I could tell just by the look on her face that she was thinking about something.  
"Just play along, Rand. You'll see." she whispered. And that was it. She frowned a moment, as If trying to remember something, then she started crying. I was a bit taken aback, but figured she was doing this for a reason. She began to add punctuated wails to her tears until the orange horned monster came back, flanked by another monster with tentacles like that guy who used to work at Harryhausen's. "What's the matter with you?" he demanded. "I w-wanna go ho-ome!" Zavier cried, making her voice sound young and girlish. She sounded about eleven and looked it too. The orange man, looking disgusted, shoved a rag at her through the bars and said "here, kid, quit cryin or my boss'll have to come down here." "B-but why am I here?" Zavier whined. She took the rag and wiped her wet face. The tentacled monster rolled his eyes.  
"We thought it'd be obvious. We want that lizard, Randall. We know you hang out with him a lot and we think he'll come here trying to rescue you." he explained. Deep down, I was mad. Mad for keeping my sister here and ordering her around like a maid. Mad for being called lizard, no matter how much I may look like one. Mad for being taken advantage of. "Stop the pity act. I'll handle this." I whispered as softly as I could. Zavier quieted down. Making no noise, I slithered out between the bars and grabbed a shovel out of the corner.


	10. Attempt at escape

CHAPTER TEN: ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE

I walked calmly up behind the orange monster and took aim. I brought it down as hard as I could, and it hit him squarely between the horns. He groaned and slid to the floor. Vanessa gave a soft little scream from the corner in which she sat on the floor, playing with a limp doll. She was, after all, still fifteen. The octupus monster turned on me and grinned maliciously when he recognized me.  
"Randall! How good of you to come!" he greeted. "Yeah right, you overconfident bastard, think fast!" I brought the shovel down, but he dodged it.  
"Randall stop." said Vanessa lifelessly. "Randall, let me out, I can help!" cried Zavier. Walking backwards, never taking my eyes off the octupus, I reached out an arm and fumbled with the lock on the door. It clanged to the floor, and Zavier ran out of the cage, all tears vanished.  
"Oh, he's a nasty one, your brother." cooed the octupus. Vanessa said nothing, but went back to playing with her doll, humming under her breath. I got the impression that coming back from the dead had addled whatever brains she still possesed. "Hey, over here, pinhead!" cried Zavier. I looked to her and saw that she had a metal bar in her hand. Where she got it, I didn't know, but it had a wicked piece of twisted metal at one end that looked terribly sharp. "Oh, it's the human, the little girl, the one with the clever lizard costume." said the octupus. He took one step towards Zavier, and that was all she needed. She swung the bar with all her strength. It singed through the air and hit the octupus viciously right in the face, causing a thick, ketchup like substance to spray out on the floor. Zavier jumped back in disgust, forgetting the crowbar, which was stuck in the guy's head. He was screaming for help.  
"Come on!" I snarled. I dropped the shovel, grabbed Zavier's hand, and ran towards the exit.  
"Where's the car?" asked Zavier breathlessly. I pointed to the stand of trees and ran. Zavier ran with me, finally pulling ahead, the tail of her costume lashing back and forth from her speed. Suddenly, a monster stepped out from behind a tree nearby, and he was holding a large weapon on his skeletal shoulder. It was my father. His once-blue scales where now black, the red on his back now brown. His eyes were still blue, but they looked empty and dead. His body was thin and so skeletal you could literally count every rib. I knew deep down that this thing with my father's figure was no longer my father, but some hideous creature looking for a purpose in a world where he no longer belonged. "Zavier, watch out!"


	11. Too cold

CHAPTER ELEVEN: TOO COLD

Too late, Zavier screamed as she almost collided with him. Rayford, my father, grabbed her around the waist and held the weapon to her head. Zavier screamed at the top of her voice, causing me to cover my ears. She'd gotten a lot louder since I used to scare her. "Give up, son." he said. His voice was like dead leaves being dragged across asphalt. "No way, dad. Your dead, old man. So's mom and Vanessa. Let her go." I demanded coldly. The cold outside was starting to get to me. I shivered and watched my breath steam out in front of me.  
"Give up, or I shoot her. I don't want to, son, but I will if I have to." Rayford threatened. He jerked Zavier tighter and she screamed in pain this time. Her black hair stood out vividly against the snow. I shivered again and pulled my jacket tighter around me. "I mean it, Randall. This gun won't kill her, but it'll change her life." he threatened again. I stood facing my father and Zavier, armed with nothing but a shovel and Zavier's guitar pick. I bared my teeth and growled, ready to charge. "Don't be stupid Randall! He's trying to fool you!" cried Zavier, struggling and twisting. She tried slashing him with her claw rings, but dad dodged. "I'll see you soon, Randall. Perhaps sooner than you think." He ran in the opposite direction and took Zavier with him. "Aw, shit, it's too cold out here!" I screamed in rage to no one but myself. Sometimes I hated being a reptile.  
Scrambling to the side of the building, I saw my father shove Zavier into a kind of storage shed. Gripping the sides of the building, I followed him. It was hard to hang on, as there was so much ice and snow, but I managed somehow.  
When I got down, I snuck up to the window and looked inside. Zavier was strapped to some kind of stretcher, her costume ripped off along with anything else. I could feel my lips turning blue. I knew I had to get inside somehow, or I'd freeze.  
I pounded on the window and roared as loud as I could, but Rayford either didn't hear me, or chose to ignore me. The wind blew, making me convulse, and I dropped to the ground. Everything from there was all fuzziness, and cold.  
Oh, so icy cold.


	12. No choice

CHAPTER TWELVE: NO CHOICE

I heard Randall roar, but couldn't see him.  
I was numb cold, strapped to the table with nothing on. Ray stood over me, aiming the gun at my head. Any questions?" he asked. I nodded. "What are you gonna do to me?" I asked. He lowered the gun and asked "How old are you?" "S-seventeen." I answered. "Okay. I want you to do me a little favor, then. Can you draw?" he asked tonelessly. His eyes bore into me and I couldn't ignore him. "Yes, I'm very good at it." I answered truthfully. "Here." he said. He handed me a pen and a piece of paper. "What-?" I asked.  
"If you could look like any monster in the world, what would you look like? I want you to draw a picture of it." he demanded. I gulped. Ray undid the straps holding my arms down, and I took the pen and thought.  
Drawing the pen across the paper, I drew what looked like a lizard on four legs. Instead of short legs jointed like a lizard's, I drew these legs a little longer and with four clawed toes. They were jointed like a cat's and had smooth scales. I drew the wings, small and slightly bat-like. Next I drew a neck, not too long, but not too short. The head came next, and this, I drew like a lizard's, or, rather, like a water dragon's. I drew the eyes set into the head and slanted like a fox's. I drew the hair, down to the shoulders. The tail came last, very long and very thin like a lizard's. "Very good. Pretty." complimented Ray. "What's it for?" I asked shakily. Ray took the drawing and slid it into a part of the gun he was holding. I got a bad feeling.  
"Since your still young and you have nothing to do with this, I've decided to give you a choice. When I shoot you, you will become this monster you have just drawn." he explained. My eyes went wide and I heard myself whimper. Never in my life had I ever heard myself whimper like that.  
"Ready." he aimed and the gun whined. Moments before he fired, I thought ever since I met randall again, I thought he was kind of lonely. No one to care for him, no one to be his friend, no one to give him a chance to prove himself. He told me last month he wanted me to stay with him from now on, and I appreciated that. I understood that he now had a friend he could talk to, when no one else would listen. That was as far as I got. He fired and all I felt was a kind of polite pain. I screamed.


	13. Escape from hell

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ESCAPE FROM HELL

I came in and out of it a few times, then I woke up again, telling mysefl I had to save Zavier. Despite the biting cold, I got up slowly and opened the door of the shed. Inside, it was warm and I felt myself grow stronger.  
Inside the shed, the stretcher was empty. My father was gone and I thought How long have I been out? I looked around for the gun, but didn't see it. I did find a drawing of a pretty lizard monster with long hair and a set of small, bat-like wings.  
"Randy?" asked a small, weak voice. I spun around and saw, standing behind the door, the same pretty lizard monster.  
Her hair was black, like her scales, and she had slanted yellow eyes with small short horns. There were rainbow patterned scales on her back and tail and her wings were small indeed, bat-like and gray. She wore no jacket. "Where's Zavier?" I demanded. I would fight this monster if had to. "Randall, it's me." she said sadly. She looked at the floor and closed her eyes. I took a closer look, and saw that she had a small, red, crescent- shaped mark on her left forearm.  
"Zavier!" I gasped, my jaw droping to the floor. She nodded and ran to me. She threw her arms around me and, taken by surprise, I hugged her back. Pressing my face into her hair, it was cold and felt like silk. Her scales were warm and dry, mine cold and wet. I don't know how long we stood like that, but after awhile, I pulled her away. She was crying, for real this time.  
"Come on, Zave. Let's get outta here." I urged softly. "What about your sister and that guy, your dad?" she asked softly. I frowned. "Those walking corpses aren't my family. My family is dead and happy in another life somewhere." I said bitterly. I dropped the picture of Zavier on the floor and looked at my feet.  
Then Zavier did something that no one had done since I was a very small child. She reached over and kissed my cheek. I didn't react at first. She stood there, looking like a lizard monster with no happiness anymore, staring at me. "You know, Randall, maybe you could be a writer someday." she said thoughtfully. I laughed and opened the door again. The cold greeted us like a parent. We shivered and ran for it.

Back in the car, I found that the keys were still in the ignition and the heater still ran. Gratefull to be alive, I started the car and blasted the heater as high as it would go.  
"Hey, Zavier?" I asked before backing out. She looked over at me from the passenger's seat. "Yeah?" she asked. "How did you end up like this?" I asked. She looked out the window and shrugged. "Ray shot me with that gun thing. It changed me, made my skin burn. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing me over and over again." she mused.  
She looked back out the window again and I was suddenly struck by how much I cared for her then. We had so much in common, both abandoned early, both with no family, both raised in orphanages, and both of us liked music. She's beautiful, always had been, and I'm not model material, but I'm very good looking. There were things about her that annoyed me sometimes, sure, but despite her reputation as a rocker and all her sarcasm, faults and pickyness, I loved her. It sounds strange, because she had been human, but it's true.  
"Come on. Let's go home." she smiled at me and I backed out.


	14. An official citizen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: AN OFFICIAL CITIZEN

It's two weeks later, and Zavier and I are an 'item' now. Even though she's only seventeen, she's a lot more mature than that, both mentally and emotionally. I turn twenty-eight in a few weeks, and she keeps hinting that she's gonna get me something realy cool. I'm not so sure, but I hope it isn't that game I saw in the mall the first time we hung out together. She's figured out a lot of the problems with my old computer now, and she types on it a lot. Mostly stories of her past life and adventures, like killing and thrillers and fantasy's. She's grown quite accustomes to her new body and she loves to show it off. Like just the other day, she showed me how she could jump, by jumping off the roof of the apartment building. Her wings aren't big enough to fly, but they are big enough to glide. She landed without a problem. The other day, we went to the city hall and Zavier got an official Hidden City I.D. card. It signified that she is now a full member of the monster world, and the human world is no longer hers. She lives with me now, and has agreed with Macy that she'll help pay the rent, even though I objected.

"Hey, Randall!" she called brightly. I'm in the kitchen, making a cake. She turns eighteen tomorrow. "Hey, Zavey. Look, why don't you wait in the living room a sec?" I suggested. "Kay." she said. Trying to hurry now, I used all four arms and lifted the white cake out of the oven. I set it on the counter and pulled some plastic wrap over it. Next, I stuck it in the fridge, behind as many things as I can.  
"Okay, come on in." I called. She came in, wearing a jacket and her hair tied back with one of her own scrunchie things. She handed me a newspaper and I took it. I looked a tthe front page and smile. It had an article about the city of Greenleaf Park, where that factory was. It reported that it had caught fire, and several bodies had been found, including those of the octupus and the orange furred one I 'd knocked out. It also stated that a few bodies apeared to have been dead for months, if not several years. "My sister and father are finally at rest." I said to myself. Zavier smiled too, revealing long, sharp fangs. "You ready to turn eighteen?" I asked, smiling and putting an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me and smiled again. "I've been ready to turn eighteen since I was fifteen." she replied. It still felt wonderfull to finally have someone I could talk to. "And y'know what?" she asked. "No, what?" I played along. "For the first time on my life, I'm happy to be alive, and happy it's almost my birthday." she said.  
I rolled my eyes. She could be so annoyingly poetic at times, but I endured it. After all, that was what friends did; they annoyed each other. We walked into the living room to finish watching a movie.

THE END

NOTE: Hope ya liked it. This is just a first part, too. If ya wanna hear the second part to it, well, sorry, you'll have to wait, I gotta ask Sean and /or Joy to borrow a few things, but no more hints here!.


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